The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-09-08
WHY AM | A REATHEN2
WONG CAIN roofs IDEAS ABOUT CHRIS
TIANITY.

The main element of all religion,
writes Wong Chin Foo in the North
American Review, is the moral code
controlling and regulating the rela-
tons and acts of individuals toward
"God, neighbor and self" and this
intelligent ''heathenism" was taught
thousands of years before Christ
ianity existed or Jewry borrowed it,
Heathenism has not lost or lessened
it since.
Born and raised q heather, l
learned and practised its moral and
religious code; and hereunder, l
was useful to myself and many
others. My conscience was clear,
and my hopes as to future life were
undimmed by distracting doubt.
But when about II | was transferred
to the midst Of our snowy Christian
civilization, and at this impossible
period of life, Christianity presented
itself to me at first under its most
alluring aspects; kind Christian
friends became particularly solicit
Gus for my material and religious
welfare, and was only too willing
to know the truth. L had to take a
good deal for granted as to the in
spiration of the Bible-as is neces-
sary to do-to Christianize q nom
Christian mind ; and l even advanced
so far under the spell of my would
be soul-savers, that | seriously con-
templated becoming the bearer of
heavenly tidings to my "benighted"
heather people.
But before qualifying for this
high mission, the Christian doctrine
| would teach had to be learned,
and here on the threshold L was
bewildered by the multiplicity of
Christian sects, each one claiming a
a monopoly of the only and narrow
road to heaven.
l looked into Presbyterianism
only TO retreat shudderingly from a
belief in a merciless God who had
foreordained most of the helpless
human race to an eternal hell. To
preach such doctrine to intelligent
heather would only raise in their
minds doubts of my sanity, If they
did not believe | was lying.
Then dropped into Baptist doc
trines, but found so many sects
therein, Of different "shells," war;
ring over the merits of cold-water
initiation and the method and time
of using it, that | became disguised
with such trivialities and the ques-
ton of close communion or not, only
impressed me that some were very
stingy and exclusive with their bit
of bread and wine, and others a
little less so.
Methodism struck me as thun-
der-and-lightning religion-all pro-
fession and noise. You struck it, |
or 1t struck you, like spasm-and
so you "experienced' religion. !.
The Congregationalists deferred
me with their starchiness and self
true goodness, and their
desire only for heightened afiiliates.
A number of other Protestant
sects based on some novelties or
eccentricity - like Quakerism i
found not worth serious study by
the non-Christian. But on one point
this mass Of Protestant dissension
cordially agreed, and that was in
united hatred of Catholicsm-the
older form of Christianity. And
Catholicism returned with interest
this animosity. Il haughtily de-
clared itself the only true church,
outside of which there was no saliva
tion-for Protestants especially; that
its chief prelate was the personal
representative of God on earth, and
that he was infallible, Here was
unity, power and authority
with a vengeance. But in chorus
my solicitous Protestant friends be-
5eeched me not to touch Catholic
ism, declaring it was worse than
heathenism-in which l agreed; but
the same line of argument also con-
yineed me that Professionalism stood
N the same category.
In fact, the more [ studied Chris
,ianity in its various phases, and
istened to the animadversions of one
sect upon another, the more it all
seemed to me "sounding brass and
cymbalS. "
Disguised with sectariqnism, /
,urned to simple study of the Sin